Putin ruins Netanyahu’s years of diplomacy
Tom Rogan
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-standing effort to woo Vladimir Putin into a pragmatic, mutually beneficial relationship now lies in ruins. Responding to the Israeli counteroffensive against Hamas in Gaza, Russia has adopted a strikingly pro-Hamas stance.
This marks a clear distinction from Putin’s prior willingness to facilitate Israeli security concerns in Syria and serve as an Israel-Iran interlocutor. Russia’s pragmatic engagement was of significant value to Israel. Reflecting as much, Putin’s tolerance for Israeli airstrikes and other actions against Iranian elements in Syria led Netanyahu to avoid providing Ukraine with lethal arms. Had it provided these arms, Israel could have significantly boosted Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion. Israeli air defense and offensive drone capabilities would have been especially valuable to Kyiv.
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Since Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel, Putin has compared Israeli military tactics to those of Nazi Germany, he has welcomed a Hamas delegation to Moscow, and he has supported Chinese efforts to pressure Israel at the U.N. Security Council. Moscow is also turning a blind eye to escalating antisemitic attacks. A mob rampaged through Makhachkala airport in southern Russia’s Dagestan province on Sunday evening, searching for Israelis and Jews. Other antisemites went door to door, searching for Jews in hotels. Rather than condemn this hatefulness, Putin is claiming that it is the result of a Western plot to divide Russian society. Putin’s unwillingness to draw a line against attempted pogroms is telling. It indicates that the Russian leader has decided he has more to gain by pressuring Israel than he has to gain by sustaining his prior approach to the Jewish state.
That’s a problem for Netanyahu. The Israeli leader has expended significant political capital, often to Washington’s dismay, in attempting to build close relations with Putin. But with Putin so obviously adopting a more hostile policy toward Israel, Netanyahu can no longer anticipate Putin’s support for Israeli action in Syria and beyond. Putin is choosing to isolate Israel when it is most in need of partners.
It’s hard to see how trust and cooperation will easily be restored.